Differentiated autonomy, Emilia-Romagna and Campania ask for abrogative referendum

The majority and M5S group leaders in Emilia-Romagna have written to the Region to request a referendum to repeal the law on differentiated autonomy. The document was signed by Marcella Zappaterra (PD, first signatory), Federico Alessandro Amico (ER Coraggiosa), Stefania Bondavalli (Lista Bonaccini Presidente), Silvia Piccinini (Movimento 5 Stelle), Giulia Pigoni (Italia Viva) and Silva Zamboni (Europa Verde). Meanwhile, the Regional Council of Campania is preparing to vote on the request to call the referendum to repeal. An extraordinary and single-issue session of the assembly has been called for next Monday, July 8, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. On the agenda is the request, presented by the PD, the De Luca president group, Azione, Italia Viva and other forces of the majority, to call an abrogative referendum, “pursuant to article 75 of the Constitution, law 26 June 2024, n. 86 (Provisions for the implementation of the differentiated autonomy of the Regions)”. And the Regional Council of Tuscany is also preparing to request the referendum: “We met with the other Regions – explains the president of the Assembly Antonio Mazzeo -, the text was shared. I should soon receive the proposed resolution signed by the group leaders who want to join, from there the process will start”, with the convocation of the chamber. “As for the timing – he added – it depends on when they present me the proposal. The PD group leader contacted me this morning telling me that the resolution will be presented very soon”. The majority forces, PD and IV, together with M5S, signed it.

The question

According to reports, the question is the following: “Do you want the law of 26 June 2024, n. 86, ‘Provisions for the implementation of the differentiated autonomy of the Regions with ordinary statutes pursuant to Article 116, third paragraph, of the Constitution, to be repealed?'”. In this regard, the leaders of the centre-left of Emilia Romagna wrote “to the President of the Legislative Assembly to communicate this resolution to the regional councils of all the other Regions, with an invitation to adopt an equal act so that the referendum initiative can be followed up”. The time is very tight, due to the resignation of Governor Stefano Bonaccini, expected on 11 or 12 July: for this reason, Commission VI, Statute and Regulation, should meet on Thursday 4 to discuss and vote on the document, and the following Tuesday 9 the Regional Parliament of Emilia-Romagna, which could also decide to continue the session indefinitely. If the legislative assembly of Emilia-Romagna were to vote in favor of requesting a referendum before its dissolution, it would open the way for the regional councils of Tuscany, Sardinia, Puglia and Campania to do the same in order to reach the five regional councils needed to request an abrogative referendum.

The requests of Veneto

In the meantime, however, Veneto has already begun to ask for greater autonomy, in particular in the 9 “non-LEP” matters, i.e. those for which it is not necessary for the State to first establish the Essential Levels of Performance: these are International Relations and with the EU; Foreign Trade; Professions; Civil Protection; Complementary and Supplementary Pensions; Coordination of Public Finance and the Tax System; Savings Banks, Rural Banks, Regional Credit Institutions; Regional Land and Agricultural Credit Institutions; Organization of Justice of the Peace. In the letter to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Governor Zaia asked to add, for an initial investigation of the more complex attribution profiles, also the matters for which the Lep are necessary, which are the subject of the 2018 pre-agreement, i.e. labor policies, education, health, environmental and ecosystem protection. “I hope that this first phase of negotiations can be concluded with a draft agreement by the end of the year. However, we already have all the dossiers ready for each subject”, explained Zaia, who then wanted to lend a hand to the South, which is against the reform. “We will be willing to twin immediately with a Region in the South, and to test this autonomy together, because this is truly the challenge. Let’s make sure that inequalities go away”, declared the Veneto governor.

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